lives in Piceno, a historic territory straddling present-day Abruzzi and Marches, have been grown since they were first brought to Italy by the Greeks and the Phoenicians.
The area today is famous for an olive variety called Ascolana tenera, or tender Ascolana, which is sold in brine or stuffed. Selected over centuries of patient work, this is the same variety known to the ancient Romans as Picenae, which has just changed name over time.
In one of his epigrams the Roman satirist Martial criticizes a certain Mancino for the coarseness of his banquets, jesting that he failed to provide his guests with important delicacies, among them Picenae olives. In another epigram, Martial mentions that this olive variety was particularly appreciated for its effect of stimulating the appetite.
The great wealth of Piceno's olive groves is also described in the epic Roman poem "Punica." There was a large demand for Picenae olives in the great food markets of imperial Rome. It is therefore not surprising that when Columella lists only ten olive varieties in his masterpiece "De Re Rustica," the Picenae is among them. Even Pliny considered Picenae olives to be the best in Italy.
In later centuries, Piceno's techniques for growing olive trees were standardized and improved further by an Order of nuns and monks known as the Olivetan Benedictine. Documents from this Order provide a wealth of detailed information about the cultivation, harvesting and consumption of these olives in the area prior to the 16th Century.
Other ancient records document the common practice of removing the stones from Ascolana olives. Stoned olives used to be called Giudee, because they "lacked a core." It was these stoned olives that became the celebrated stuffed Ascolana of our times.
